Effect of feeding reconstituted and urea treated bajra grain (Pennisetum typhoideum) on nutrients digestibility, rumen metabolism and blood parameters in sheep

Abstract

Adult sheep (20) were equally divided into 4 groups and fed sole gram straw as control (C), gram straw + raw bajra grain (T1 ), gram straw + reconstituted bajra grain (T2 ), gram straw + 4%urea treated bajra grain (TJ The total dry matter intake was significantly lower in the group fed solely gram straw in comparison to other groups. Crude protein (CP) was higher in T3 than in TI and T2and was minimum in treatment C. The digestibility coefficients of all the proximate nutrients were calculated by difference and were significantly higher in reconstituted and urea treated than that in raw bajra grain. The DCP in rllW baJra grain (6.23%) was lower than that in reconstituted (8.74%) and in urea treated (13.84%); the differences between reconstituted and urea treated grain being significant. Similarly, the TDN content was higher in reconstituted (70.73%) and in urea treated (70.57%) than in raw (57.25%) bajra grain. Mean nitrogen fractions in SRL of sheep were significantly (P